Photo: Contributed

It was August of last year that you may have read this piece on Million Dollar Reload.  Well, if I may be so bold…it is well worth reading again!  This Irish rock ensemble has been tearing up the stages since last year’s release of “A Sinner’s Saint” and it is paying off!  Set to play at several major Summer Festivals in Europe, the lads are ever increasing their profile.  A new record is also on the horizon, however “A Sinner’s Saint” still has loads of life, and the group have just released a new single and video “Broken”!  So read on and enjoy!

It’s Rock n’ Roll…and it’s serious!  Million Dollar Reload are five Irish lads that just want to play rock n’ roll…and they do! 
Continuing with the resurgence of no-holds barred Rock, this group follows in the footsteps of fellow Irishmen, “The Answer” in creating and performing a no-compromise style of Hard Rock.  Their debut album, “Anthems Of A Degeneration” speaks volumes.  High energy from beginning to end, this five piece push the limits each and every time.  From their bio: “…these steely-eyed purveyors of balls-out, barnstorming classic rock are on a mission to put a smile on your face and a few thousand volts up your holiest of holies.”  I could not have written it better myself!...

Photo: Contributed

”Million $ Reload”?—it is mission accomplished!  Riff oriented guitar rock, that is what this is…and no excuses!  Their debut burns through your cd-player or ipod…leaving you breathless after all fifteen tracks.  Their concert performances are no different…and they have been tearing up the stages for the last seven years! Opening for such groups as ‘Papa Roach’, ‘Buckcherry’, ‘The Darkness’ and ‘Thunder’!  Now, after four years since their debut, it is time for the second attack…”A Sinner’s Saint” is about to be unleashed, and on a worldwide basis!  The group have signed to Frontiers Records and will release their second album in June and July, Europe and North America respectively.  The group will continue to tour, as that is their life-blood, whether it is opening or headlining, these five don’t care…as long as it is a stage!  With the release of “A Sinner’s Saint”, expect to see ‘Million $ Reload’ playing concert halls and clubs all over North America.

     A strong prediction, from me a few months ago!  One that I’m glad is coming true.  This summer has seen “Million Dollar Reload” re-energise the Rock mob throughout Europe and the UK.  This Fall and Winter it is North America, I caught up the Irish quintet a month ago, and here is what they said:

Question: With all of the road shows and tours you have been on, when did you actually get down to business in recording this new release, “A Sinner’s Saint”?
 

Answer: To say we actually sat down to purposely write “A Sinner`s Saint” wouldn’t actually be too accurate. It was kind of a case that in between gigs and tours we would always continue to rehearse regardless and with that it seemed that a new song was being brought into the rehearsal room at least once a week. So we would knock it into
shape at rehearsals and that would happen on a regular basis. If we had have taken a scheduled period of time to
“write” a record we probably would have ended up with 40 – 50 songs! So I’d guess that over a period of 12 months “A Sinner`s Saint” got  written and put together .

Q: Again, a strong record… Straight ‘in yer face’ rock n’ roll… When you record is it live off the floor for the
most part?

A: Yes that’s fair to say, although we do record guitar solos and vocals after the main guitar / bass / drum tracks are
done. It’s quite a straight forward simple process for us .We don’t like to fuck around that much in the studio with
sounds, etc. We know how we want it to sound and what we need to do before we go in, we like to get in there, record it and get out of there as soon as we can !

Q: Reading some other material and including your Press Releases, your aggressive attitude towards music is also there towards the business side of things… Which is a good thing!, however is it not taxing on the energy levels?

A: We are involved in all aspects of Million $ Reload’s business affairs. It’s just the way we have always been, we want to know who is doing what, and when, and where they are doing it. We know of so many other bands that didn’t pay attention to the business end of things and ended up getting screwed by their managers and agents etc in the long run. We are determined to not be one of those bands. We are pretty much hands – on with everything, it never hurts to ask questions of those people who we deal with on the business end. That way we know exactly what’s going on. It can be taxing at times but its gotta be done.

Q: Is “Bullets In The Sky” your first single off the album?... By the way, the video is just great!
 

A: Thanks Bruce, yes its our first single. The video kind of gives off the vibe of what we are all about. If you notice there is a lot of live footage in the video… And that’s what we are all about… Playing live. The song “Bullets in the Sky” is about the futility of war from a soldiers’ perspective. Soldiers are brave, courageous people but I often wonder do they get scared?, and do they feel sometimes that war is the wrong way of dealing with disputes but it’s a job they morally got to do? That’s what the lyrical content is about.  However, people can interpret the lyrics in whatever way they feel is best suited for them. The late great Gary Moore once said, that after you have written a song and it’s “out there” for everyone to hear…It doesn’t belong to you anymore, it’s the fans song at that point, and they can interpret it the way they want to. I kinda agree with some of that sentiment.

Million Dollar Reload:  ‘A Sinner’s Saint”—Frontiers Records
From their Press Release: “As any discerning music fan knows, there are only two kinds of music: Rock and Roll.” These five Irish lads agree! And with a vengeance! “A Sinner’s Saint” will Rock you to the n-th degree and have you Rolling in ecstasy! The group’s second effort puts everyone on notice that straight-up Rock n’ Roll is here to stay! Yeah… We are certainly being reloaded by this group! From the first single; “Bullets In The Sky” to the last cut, “It Ain’t Over”, we have a huge slice of uncompromising ROCK!! “A Sinner’s Saint” tells us why heads have turned upon hearing these five, smartly composed and exact pieces of Hard Rock with a pulsating bluesed out back beat. Million Dollar Reload ain’t no “one hit wonder”, no this is an Irish rocked out power to be reckoned with…and embraced! Just one listen will invigorate you to the upper limits and having you wanting more. Yes, these rockers can ‘Roll’ with the best of them. They deliver high energy effortlessly, as well as highly emotive expressions such as ‘Broken’. The record, well, it is hard, high energy music that will move you, rock you to the very marrow of your bones. “A Sinner’s Saint” is a huge slice of Rock n’ Roll Heaven!!  

Bruce Atkinson (91/100)

Upcoming Club/Concert Highlights:

97^th Street Pub:    Rockaholics:  March 1^st & 2^nd   Radio Lifeline:  March 8^th & 9^th   Floyd Vedan Band:  March 15^th & 16^th

The Blue Gator:   Pappa Dawg:  March 1^st & 2^nd   Orio:   March  7^th   The Young ‘Uns:   March 8^th & 9^th                      Papa Dawg:   March 13^th   Zamboni Brothers:   March 14^th-15^th-16^th

Notable Concerts:    

South Okanagan Events Centre:   Heart:    March 9^th 2013   Alan Jackson:  August 3^rd

 Kelowna Community Theatre:   Natalie MacMaster:   April 7^th    Randy Bachman:   April 20^th     

Prospera Place:  Sting:    May 30^th   

Vernon:  Funtastic---Honeymoon Suite:  June 28^th  Sweet:  June 29^th  Julian Austin  Aaron Pritchett:    June 30^th   

Dancin’ Barefoot Music Festival- Peachland :  Nick Gilder & Sweeney Todd: July 20^th                 

Peach Festival  Penticton:  Honeymoon Suite:   August 8^th                 

Notes & News:   It has been a while since we have heard from Ville Valo, better known as HIM!  Come April a brand new album will be unleashed to the world: “Tears On Tape”, and a special ‘Metal Hammer’ HIM edition will be available at your favourite magazine stands!  Darby Mills will have her only solo album re-released in the Spring/Summer: “Never Look Back” is well worth looking for!        The Voice behind “House Of Lords” will release a new solo album, James Christian’s “Lay It All On Me” will be out by Summer.  Locally, some news:  The Flu are gearing up for a showcase gig at The Roxy (Vancouver) in April, and they have been recently named ‘Band Of The Week’ by MusicBC!!  The Steve Jones Band may have been laying low lately, however prepare to see them live this Spring around the area, plus they will be performing brand new Originals as well!

Last week’s story on Stryper hinted at their new album “Second Coming”, here is some more on that in their own words:

…if you have a musical story or news and would like me to write something… drop me a line at:  fbainternational@telus.net  and let’s celebrate Kelowna’s rich and varied music community together!!.....